- To find your PC’s BitLocker recovery key on Windows 11 (or 10), open your “Microsoft account” online and confirm the recovery from the “Devices” page.
- You can also retrieve the encryption key from a text file, printout, or network administrator, depending on how the feature was initially configured.
- These instructions work for Windows 11 Pro and Home.
UPDATED 8/13/2024: On Windows 11 (and 10), the BitLocker recovery key for your computer can be found in four different places, depending on the option you used to export the key during encryption.
As part of the drive encryption process, BitLocker creates a recovery key that contains 48 digits, and it’s the key (or password) you may have to use to unlock the computer’s drive so that the operating system can start correctly.
Usually, you can go a long time without needing to unlock your device, but unexpected issues can always happen. We have already seen system updates prompting users to provide the encryption recovery key due to bugs. The prompt can also appear due to corruption or another problem with the TPM (Trusted Platform Module) on the motherboard since this chip is where the operating system saves important information, such as the BitLocker key, to unlock your device and boot normally.
If you cannot find the BitLocker key, you won’t be able to unlock your device and access your files. If this is the case, the only way to fix this problem is to completely erase the computer and start fresh with a new copy of Windows 11 or 10.
In this guide, I will explain the different ways to find your device encryption recovery key on Windows 11 as well as if you’re still running Windows 10.
Retrieve your BitLocker recovery key on Windows
On Windows 11 (and 10), you have multiple ways to find your computer’s BitLocker (or Device Encryption) recovery key, depending on the option you selected during the setup or if the system configured encryption automatically.
Although Windows 11 (and 10) Home doesn’t include the BitLocker feature, Microsoft offers the “Device Encryption” feature, which is a limited version of BitLocker. As a result, these instructions apply to the “Pro” and “Home” editions of the operating system.
Method 1: Microsoft account
To find your BitLocker key on your Microsoft account, use these steps:
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Open the BitLocker recovery keys page online.
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Sign in with your Microsoft account credentials (as necessary).
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Confirm the device name and “Key ID” to find the correct BitLocker recovery key.
It’s important to note that the system will only upload the encryption recovery key if you choose the “Save to your Microsoft account” option during encryption, if Windows 11 enables BitLocker automatically during installation, or if you turn on “Device Encryption” from the Settings app and your account uses a Microsoft account.
Once you complete the steps, the page will include all available BitLocker recovery keys, the uploaded date, key ID, and drive type.
The drive type can have different values, depending on where drive encryption was configured.
- OSV: Operating System Volume. This would be the primary drive where the operating system resides.
- FDV: Fixed Data Volume. This would be any secondary drive where you only store files and apps.
- RDV: Removable Data Volume. This would be for removable drives, such as USB flash drives or USB external storage.
If the recovery key isn’t available on your Microsoft account, you can try disabling BitLocker and re-enabling the feature on Windows 11 Pro or Device Encryption on Windows 11 Home or Pro.
Method 2: Printout
If you enabled BitLocker manually on Windows 11 or 10, you may have chosen the “Print the recovery key” option. If this is the case, you will need to find the paper printout where you usually save your important documents to retrieve the key to unlock your computer.
Method 3: Text file
If you select the “Save to a file” option during the encryption process, you must access the file’s storage location with the BitLocker recovery key. Usually, you would have saved the file on a USB drive. If this is the case, connect the flash drive to a device to have access, and open the file with any text editor to find the recovery key.
Method 4: Contact administrator
If your device is connected to an organization or school network, you will need to contact your network administrator for assistance retrieving and applying a recovery key.
Apply BitLocker recovery key on Windows
If the device encounters an issue during startup due to BitLocker, you will be prompted to confirm your recovery key. In this case, you will have to use these steps:
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Confirm the “Recovery Key ID” (first octet).
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Open the BitLocker recovery key using one of the methods outlined above.
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Find the “Key ID” that matches the “Recovery Key ID” (see step 1) to confirm the “Recovery Key” for the computer.
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Enter the recovery key in the BitLocker blue screen.
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Click the Continue button.
After you complete the steps, the computer will unlock, and Windows will start normally. However, you will still need to sign in with your credentials to access your account.
You can also follow these instructions in my video tutorial on my YouTube channel. (Remember to like and subscribe.)
In the past, I encountered the recovery screen during startup due to an issue with the system’s TPM, but I wasn’t aware that Windows 11 configured encryption automatically during installation. However, when I looked for the recovery key, I found out that the operating system never backed up the BitLocker key to my cloud account, so I didn’t have another choice other than resetting the operating system and removing everything.
On the good side of things, this happened on a secondary computer I use for testing, so I didn’t have any important files that needed to be recovered.
The moral of this incident is that since this problem can happen at any time, it’s crucial always to have a backup of your BitLocker recovery key.
Update August 13, 2024: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].